Better Man
by Daisy1600
Summary: After his parents' messy divorce Eddie Brock was forced to move from his home in San Francisco to New York with his father, and transfer schools halfway through a semester. There he meets the inhumanly tall captain of the football team Symon Black, or Venom, as he preferred to be called. The senior with jet black hair styled to perfection and pitch black eyes is a total...


Chapter Text

"Dad, do I _have_ to go to school? Like, are you sure I can't just switch to homeschooling like Jason did?" Eddie whined, completely ignoring the peanut butter and jelly sandwich on his plate. His father possessed next to no cooking skills, so he'd essentially been forced to make his own breakfast. If you could even call it that.

His father sighed in exasperation, shaking his head to himself. They've had this conversation well over fifty times. This _week_.

"You do realize your cousin has a private tutor, right Eddie? And besides, I can't..." his father sighed, looking impossibly sad and defeated for a moment before composing himself. Just like he always seemed to be doing nowadays. "I feel it's best that you're around kids your own age after... you know, after everything you've been through these past few months."

Eddie gnawed at his bottom lip, contemplating his father's softly spoken words for a moment that seemed to last a lifetime. He'd gotten the same speech every single day this week, but had never given up hope that his father would change his mind and let him either drop out of school completely, or switch to homeschooling.

The teen sighed in defeat before pushing his chair back and getting to his feet. He picked his sad excuse for a sandwich up off his plate and headed for the door without a backwards glance. He felt a little bad for blowing off his old man like that, but really wasn't in the mood to deal with his multitude of familial issues.

Eddie stuffed his sandwich in his mouth as he picked his backpack up from where it lay on the floor by the front door, and slung it over his shoulder while simultaneously unlocking the door with his free hand.

He shut and locked the front door before heading over to his car. Once inside, he tossed his backpack in the passenger seat and backed out of the driveway a lot faster than he probably should've. But why the hell should he care anyway? Its not like his health or wellbeing is much of a priority anyway.

Eddie stood stock-still before the imposing open doors of his new school, being jostled around slightly as students — mostly seniors— brushed past him and into the rather old building. A rough push from behind broke him out of his thoughts and brought him back to reality.

"Quit blocking the goddam entrance, you loser." The unnaturally tall and _buff as shit_ senior all but growled at him. He had slightly spiky jet black hair, piercing dark brown eyes that almost seemed to be black from where Eddie stood, a good eight inches shorter than him, and his entire outfit was black, white and grey. Just like the school colors. Though the older teen didn't seem to be much of a 'school spirit' type to Eddie.

Pinned under the senior's smoldering glare, Eddie couldn't help but gulp. His throat was dry as the Sahara desert and he was sweating profusely. The guy had to be _at least_ six foot four. No, five. Definitely six foot five.

And god fucking damnit, he had to have been held back like, an entire fucking decade. If not _more_.

Eddie didn't consider himself to be a _shy guy_ per say, but rather... selectively mute. Specifically in situations where there's a giant teenager towering over him. Which, uh, hasn't actually happened until now. Huh.

Eventually the senior must've gotten tired of glaring at him, as he scoffed in disgust and stomped past Eddie and into the school.

"What the actual fuck just happened?" Eddie muttered aloud, shaking his head to himself in complete and utter disbelief.

"Move it or lose it, dude." A short kid — a freshman, no doubt — said as he bumped into Eddie with his bony shoulder.

"Yeah well fuck you too, Freshie." Eddie spat at the kid, hiking his backpack strap further up his shoulder as he too stomped his way into the school. It annoyed him to no end that he hadn't been able to stand up to the insanely tall dude when he'd essentially done the same thing as the freshman had.

And as he made his way over to the principal's office, he couldn't help but scowl at anything and everything that moved.

Today was going to be a long day.

After visiting the principal's office to pick up his schedule, locker number, and meet up with the kid who was assigned to show him around the school as well as his classes, Eddie found himself sitting in math class bored out of his mind and sitting next to said guide, Peter Parker.

The kid was pretty cool, if not a little nerdy, and just like Eddie; was a junior. He could see them becoming good friends over the course of the semester. Maybe even best friends, but that was just wishful thinking. After all, Eddie hadn't exactly been known to be the most friendly or sociable guy at his old school. He still had friends mind you, but things seemed to be a bit more cliquey in New York.

"Psst!" Peter leaned closer to Eddie's desk. "Hey Eddie, are you busy after school? My friend Wade and I are planning on going to the mall, and I was wondering if you'd like to maybe tag along?"

Eddie pursed his lips in thought, wondering what fucking business a teenage boy had being inside a _mall_ of all places. He leaned slightly closer to his right so Peter would have an easier time understanding him. "The _mall_? Why the fuck do you guys wanna go there?"

Instead of taking his words the wrong way and getting offended, Peter broke into a grin, chuckling quietly into the sleeve of his hoodie. "What, do guy's not do that where you're from? Either way, Wade and I usually just go there to eat and catch a movie or something."

Eddie felt like expounding upon the fact that it _sounded_ kinda like Peter and this Wade kid were a little more than friends when he remembered that it was rude to assume someone you barely knows sexuality. Maybe he'd bring it up another time.

Or just pay close attention to his and Wade's interactions.

"Well, we at least don't go _shopping_ very often. Kinda just wear—" the words 'whatever our moms bought us' got caught in his throat and he swallowed roughly before composing himself. "Well you know, we kinda just wear whatever smells decent enough. But uh yeah, I could eat." Eddie smiled a closed mouth smile, feeling even just the slightest bit better about his crappy life when Peter beamed at him in return.

Maybe school wouldn't be so bad after all.

He was wrong. _So unbelievably fucking wrong_. School was horrible. So, _so_ horrible to be accurate.

After school, he and Peter headed outside to the football field where the latter's friend Wade was having practice, since there was a big game coming up this Friday.

There had been a standard sized football field at his old school, but this one was just so luscious and _green_ compared to the one back in San Francisco. Maybe he'll try out for the team next semester. After all, he _had_ watched almost every practice, and had attended every game.

He knew he had the strength and drive to pursue a sport as physically demanding and time-consuming as football. He just needed to apply himself. And probably lift heavier, seeing as he needed to be able to bump the shit out of some probably very large dudes on the opposing team. Maybe taking notes would be a good idea as well.

They had to walk quite a ways until they made it to the bleachers, but once they were there Eddie stopped and turned to face the field. There had to have been anywhere between twenty and twenty-four boys out there getting very loudly instructed by their coach. Some would call it yelling, but go figure.

He stared out at all the guys wearing _illegally_ tight pants for a little while longer until he was broken out of his reverie by the sound of his new friend Peter attempting to speak to him

"If you were wondering, Wade's number 22."

Eddie shifted his gaze upward a few inches and began to read the backs of everyone's jerseys. He couldn't quite see see half the players on the far side of the field and decided to begin walking up the bleachers to get a better vantage point.

"Oh uh, I think I can see him..." Eddie's trailed off into a quiet whisper as his eyes caught the sight of a familiar behemoth on the field. The asshole who shoved him and called him a loser earlier. He was in a couple of Eddie's classes but turned out to be easy enough to ignore, seeing as Eddie was stuck with a seat in the front of the class while Behemoth had one in the back. God damnit he hated assigned seating. And being watched like a fucking hawk by the teacher.

His jaw dropped at the sight of the senior unclipping and pulling his helmet off, his jet black spiky hair being rustled slightly by the windchill. On instinct, Eddie leaned in closer to get a better look, only to trip over his own two goddamn feet and fall down four _metal_ bleacher steps and onto the small patch of concrete below.

He had luckily managed to catch himself with his hands a mere millisecond before his face could make contact with the ground, though his rib cage and knees still took the brunt of the fall.

After the shock of it all had worn off somewhat, he realized just how much he ached everywhere, and groaned in pain as Peter kneeled by his side to check if he was still _alive_.

"Oh my god Eddie, are you okay?"

Off in the distance he could here bouts of laughter, whispers, and some shouting. Slowly, he sat up, turning to look in the direction that all the noise was coming from. He saw the behemoth laughing his ass off, doubled over and slapping at his fucking knee. And after a long, humiliating moment, the senior's expression changed to a stoic one; his lips pressed together in a thin line as he looked away from Eddie and swatted at a couple of his teammate's arms. His teammates that were _laughing_ , to be exact. They immediately shut their mouths and walked away to get some water from a nearby cooler.

"Uh, yeah I'm—" Eddie began only to be interrupted by a frantic Peter.

"Your lip is bleeding! But like don't freak out or anything 'cause it's honestly not that bad, it's just... well, it's bleeding."

Eddie reached up to touch his lip and hissed in pain as it irritated his wound. It wasn't his first split lip, as he'd gotten in his fair share of physical fights back in San Francisco, but it hurt like a little bitch nonetheless.

Eventually, the coach as well as a couple of players without their helmets on came over to assess the situation. "You alright, son?" Asked the coach.

Eddie nodded slightly, not wanting to speak and risk further splitting his lip. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the behemoth and a couple of his teammates — more than likely his friends — talking amongst themselves. He had to wonder if anyone on the team possessed even an _ounce_ of empathy.

Then, one of the boys who'd walked over with the coach turned to Peter, asking if he was alright; his large hands gently squeezing the latter's slight shoulders.

Peter rolled his eyes, expression fond. Ah, so _that_ must be Wade. "You don't have to worry about me, Wade, I'm fine. It's Eddie you should be worried about. He took quite the spill."

"Right, sorry," Wade ducked his head in embarrassment, seeming genuinely sorry and a even a little concerned for the boy with the split lip. "Wait, so how exactly did the two of you meet? Just a little curious since I don't think I've ever seen the two of you hanging out together."

Again, Peter rolled his eyes. "He's the one I showed around school today, and my new friend. I told you in history, remember?"

"Okay, enough with the chitchat, this boy is clearly injured and needs to be taken to the nurses office. And seeing as Parker seems too shaken to do it himself, Wilson here shall accompany him."

"You mean I have the rest of practice off?" Wade asked, looking between his coach and... somebody else. Eddie followed Wade's eyes until they landed on the behemoth standing a ways closer than he'd been earlier; arms crossed and brows furrowed in concentration as he seemed to be trying to assess the situation. Possibly even attempting to read lips.

The coach glanced in the behemoth's direction for a moment before nodding hesitantly. He seemed to be a little apprehensive to let one of his players out of practice early, but instructed him to do so nonetheless.

"Venom is _so_ not going to be happy about this..." Wade muttered, shaking his head to himself before beginning to take off some of his more bulky gear. He was soon down to just his undershirt and his pants for a moment before slipping his jersey back on to keep himself warm, and Eddie was left wondering what kind of fucking name _Venom_ was, and if it belonged to the behemoth. It must've, Eddie thought to himself.

"Who the fuck is _Venom_?" He spoke up from where he sat on the ground. The coach clicked his tongue and proceeded to take two of the players he'd brought over back to the middle of the field; clearly leaving this one up to Wade.

"He's uh... well, you see that gigantic kid over there who looks like he could crush your skull with his bare hands?"

Eddie nodded hesitantly, suddenly feeling a little lightheaded. And nauseous. _Definitely_ nauseous.

"Yeah well, that's our team captain, Symon Black, but he prefers to go by Venom. Weird as fuck, I know, but also kinda badass." Wade chuckled to himself, no doubt remembering an inside joke of some sort.

Eddie hated being out of the loop.

"You neglected to mention the fact that he's also like scary as shit, and loses his fucking mind if you're late for or miss even one practice." Peter interjected.

Wade contemplated his friend's words for a moment before shrugging his large shoulders. "Yeah, gotta admit he's a bit of a prick, but we _do_ have an important game coming up. College scouts are gonna be there, no doubt looking for new talent. Maybe even a player worthy of receiving a full ride to one of their oh-so prestigious universities in California."

"You're totally going to get a football scholarship Wade, so don't even worry about it," Peter assured him, lightly punching Wade's shoulder only to shake out his aching wrist a second later. It was quite entertaining to watch the two oblivious bozos interact. "What you _should_ worry about is helping me get Eddie to the nurses office before he passes out from the pain."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, Petey. About both things," Wade nodded more to himself than anyone else, then crouched down so he was closer to Eddie who was still sitting on the fucking ground. "You alright standing up, or do you think you're going to goat out on me?"

"The fuck does 'goat out' even _mean_?" Eddie frowned, pain pulsating throughout his skull as he attempted to put two and five together and figure out what the actual fuck was in the water in this place. This place being New York, where everyone was apparently fucking insane and had their own lingo.

Don't get him wrong, Eddie and his buds back in San Francisco had made up their own words themselves, but at least they made _sense_ , unlike Wade Wilson's. But then again, Eddie may or may not be experiencing the after effects of a concussion, so he really wasn't in any position to make judgements.

"You know, when you scare a goat and it seizes up and falls over on its side? Yeah, so 'goating out' would be when you do just that." Wade explained away, still waiting for a proper response from Eddie.

"I'm still not sure if I understand the concept, but I also think I might have a concussion, so I'm just gonna let it slide for now," Eddie mumbled, groaning slightly as he rubbed at his forehead. "And uh yeah, I think I can stand..." he trailed off as he got to his unsteady feet, stumbling slightly before being caught by both Wade and Peter.

The two boys exchanged a wordless glance before slinging one of Eddie's arms over each of their shoulders. His feet were practically dragging behind him as they lugged him off the field and into the school.

He could feel eyes boring boring holes in the back or his head the entire walk back and just _knew_ that a certain senior had it out for him.

Eddie had ended up _not_ accompanying Peter and Wade to the mall, seeing as he'd suffered a very minor concussion and was feeling achy all over.

His new friends had dropped him off at his house and offered to pick him up for school tomorrow since he'd had no choice but to leave his car in the parking lot overnight.

And as he laid in bed icing his injuries, not able to do much other than just _breathe_ , he had some downtime to think back on his first day at his new school. It had started off kinda terrible, then had gotten better, then went back to being terrible again.

And it was all Venom's fault.

He sighed into the darkness of his room at the mere thought of the captain of the football team, eyelids growing heavy as the events of the day began replaying in his mind. He assumed that the painkillers the school nurse had given him also played a major role in his complete and utter exhaustion.

And as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, he remembered that his father was at work and wouldn't be home for a couple of hours, meaning now would be as good a time as any to take a nap.

But it wasn't like he had much of a choice anyway.


End file.
